Department for Transport

Aviation

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the importance of general aviation to the UK's national infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to roll out GPS technology at aerodromes to enable safer take-offs and landings for general aviation aircraft.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises the importance of the General Aviation sector and its infrastructure. To this end, the Government has appointed Byron Davies as General Aviation Champion. Mr Davies has been tasked with advising on the development of the sector, and of the role it plays within the UK’s economy and society. At the end of 2018 he will deliver a report on the state and future potential of general aviation. He is being assisted by York Aviation, which the Department has commissioned to carry out research on airfields of strategic significance. The Civil Aviation Authority has published specific guidance on how an aerodrome should seek approval for airspace changes relating to the deployment of GPS-based technologies. This guidance, which is currently under review, includes the requirement for a safety case. The review is intended to align the guidance with CAP 1616 Airspace Design: Guidance on the regulatory process for changing airspace design including community engagement requirements, which was issued in December 2017.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the points being raised in the Hybrid Bill petition for phase 2a of the High Speed Two project are addressed.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Petitions against the High Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill are currently being heard by the Select Committee which will report its findings and decisions in due course. My Department will consider their findings and formally respond before the Bill has its Third Reading.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent acceptance rate was for Need to Sell applications for phase 2b of High Speed 2.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The current acceptance rate for Need to Sell applications for phase 2b of High Speed 2 is 31%. Further Need to Sell statistics for all phases of High Speed 2 can be found on the Gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-exceptional-hardship-scheme-applications-statistics.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Green Deal Scheme

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many complaints about the Green Deal have been raised with him under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012; and how many of his decisions resulted in (a) a reduction (b) a cancellation  (c) no sanction and (d) no cancellation in respect of a green deal loan.

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of green deal complaints are appealed to the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012.

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what is the average waiting time was for a decision on a green deal complaint raised with the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framewor (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc) Regulations 2012.

Claire Perry: To date, there have been 54 complaints received by the Secretary of State under the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 (‘the Regulations’). These complaints include 34 consumers who have rejected an offer made by a finance party to reduce or cancel a Green Deal loan. Out of the 54 complaints received, one has completed the Green Deal sanctions process associated with consumer redress. In that case, no sanction was imposed as no redress beyond that provided by the finance party in question (which was cancellation of the loan and refund of loan repayments) was possible under the Regulations. The Secretary of State has issued intention notices for three further cases. There may be Green Deal complaints with other bodies which have not been passed to the Department, and it is therefore not possible to accurately calculate the proportion of complaints that have been brought to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The legal nature of the redress process and detailed information involved means complaints can take some time to resolve. The case that has completed the sanction process took six months to resolve from being formally received by the Secretary of State. These are complex cases and the Department remains committed to resolving cases fairly and as quickly as possible.

Electricity: Republic of Ireland

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to maintain the single electricity market with Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: As set out in August 2017 in the UK position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland and reiterated in my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech, the Government wants the single electricity market to continue to operate across Ireland and Northern Ireland after EU exit. We continue to work across Government and with our EU partners to achieve this aim.

Financial Services: Environment Protection

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to  support the growth of green investment and finance beyond the delivery of the fifth carbon budget.

Claire Perry: The UK is a world leader in green finance. The transition to a low-carbon economy is a major opportunity for the UK, and our world leading financial system is key to that transition. Our domestic climate change commitments, and the global targets of the Paris Agreement, present a great investment opportunity for the private sector. The Green Finance Taskforce published their report in March, outlining a set of wide-ranging and ambitious recommendations for Government. We are considering these recommendations and will respond in due course. We are determined to maintain the UK’s position as a world-leader in green finance in the long term, capitalising on the opportunities arising from Clean Growth.

Recruitment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business,Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of contextual recruitment.

Andrew Griffiths: Employers should treat all job applicants courteously as well as being fair and objective in their selection of successful candidates. The Government does not however impose requirements on employers as to how they carry out recruitment. Provided they comply with data protection legislation and do not discriminate unlawfully, for example on grounds of race, sex or disability, they are free to use the recruitment methods that best suit their business needs.

Oil: Licensing

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to vary the work commitments under Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence 189.

Claire Perry: The responsibility for onshore oil and gas licensing, including responsibility for variations in work commitments, was transferred to the independent Oil and Gas Authority in 2016. Consequently any decisions relating to variations of a PEDL will be made by the OGA.

Takeovers: Codes of Practice

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Takeover Code following the take over of GKN by Melrose.

Andrew Griffiths: The Takeover Code is administered by the Takeover Panel, an independent organisation. The Code was strengthened earlier this year to give companies more time to respond to a bid and to require bidding companies to provide more information on their intention earlier in the takeover process.

Fracking

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer the 6 April 2018 to Question 134603 on fracking, what the timetable is for up-to-date estimates of the number of fracking wells to be published.

Claire Perry: As stated in my previous response of 6 April 2018 to Question 134603, the Government will continue to monitor progress of the shale gas industry and will revise its estimates as appropriate as the industry develops.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has undertaken two leak enquiries in the past two years.

Fracking: Environment Protection

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to mitigate the costs to the public purse relating to recovery of environmental damage in the event that a company engaged in fracking becomes insolvent after fracking operations have begun.

Claire Perry: Each shale gas licensee (and there may be more than one for each licence) is responsible for their well(s).The Government has been clear that it considers that the financial resilience of a company wishing to hydraulically fracture is a relevant consideration in the consents process. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 January 2018, on Energy Policy, HCWS428, as a matter of policy we will look at the financial resilience of all companies wishing to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations alongside their application for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent to ensure companies have the financial capacity to meet their regulatory obligations, including protecting the environment.If environmental damage does occur, remediation of the damage will be dealt with under the main regimes for dealing with contamination, the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009 and Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Carbon Capture and Storage: International Cooperation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 April 2018 to Question 133883, on what date he plans to publish the prospectus for the 2018 International Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage event.

Claire Perry: I will be hosting the International Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) conference which will take place on 28 and 29 November 2018 in Edinburgh. Its theme will be ‘Accelerating CCUS’. Details of the conference will be published on the Department’s website in June 2018.

Energy: UK Trade with EU

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on the energy bills of (a) households and (b) businesses of the requirement for energy suppliers to pay EU transmission charges for access to the EU’s internal energy market after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: Maintaining affordable energy supplies for both the UK and the EU is a key objective of the Future Economic Partnership being sought by the UK. We want to continue arrangements that allow efficient trade of electricity to take place between the EU and the UK. However, the future trade agreement will be decided in negotiations, and we are unable to comment on these arrangements until negotiations conclude.

Climate Change and Electricity Interconnectors

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on (a) levels of interconnection for power trading between the UK and the EU and (b) the UK meeting its targets on climate change.

Claire Perry: Maintaining affordable energy supplies for both the UK and the EU is a key objective of the future partnership we are seeking. A well-functioning energy market is of vital importance for the European economy and we share the ambition to make energy trading easier by opening up new markets and increasing the level of interconnection between them. Leaving the EU will not change any of our domestic statutory commitments to reduce our emissions, as laid out in the Climate Change Act 2008. The UK remains committed to the Paris Climate Change Agreement and, whatever our future partnership with the EU, we will satisfy our international obligations under the Agreement.

Electricity Interconnectors: EU Countries

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the merits of investing in new electricity interconnectors between the UK and EU member states.

Claire Perry: The Government’s priority is to maintain secure, affordable and clean energy supplies for businesses and households. We share the EU’s ambition to increase the level of interconnection across the region where it delivers these benefits and is in consumer’s interests. The UK continues to see investment in new interconnection projects. In addition to the 4GW currently operational, 4.4GW of new interconnector capacity is already under construction. Positive investment decisions on two new projects, making up 2GW of this capacity, have taken place since the referendum.

Coal: Reserves

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount of coal reserves that have planning permission to be mined for each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Chapter 2 of the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) includes data on coal reserves broken down by planning permission stage. The latest data for 2017 is available here (Table 2C):https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes Historical editions of DUKES are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) time-scale for setting up a British Global Navigation Satellite System.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



The UK Space Agency is leading a cross-Government taskforce, working with engineering and space experts in the UK, to rapidly develop plans for a British Global Navigation Satellite System with the aim of launching our own system from the mid-2020s onwards. Value for money will be a key consideration of this taskforce. In the long term, we believe that such a system could be operated for around the same annual cost as the UK’s current contribution to the EU’s Galileo programme.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the UK Space Agency's announcement on the development of a British Global Navigation Satellite System published on 2 May 2018, what contingency plans his Department has put in place in the event that the UK is denied access to data for satellite navigation.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



The UK will continue to be able to access the US Global Positioning System (GPS) but a British system would also provide vital freedom to act independently, increase resilience and enhance UK and Allied operations in the global context. A British system would be compatible with GPS, meaning that if either were subject to malicious attack, we could continue to provide crucial positioning information to the UK and her Allies. The redundancy provided by having multiple systems of ground infrastructure, increased numbers of satellite constellations and multiple secure and open signals would greatly increase our resilience.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Overseas Aid: Orphans

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to help ensure that visits and fundraising undertaken by UK schools and faith groups to overseas orphanages do not increase the risk of trafficking and exploitation of children in those orphanages.

Mark Field: ​Her Majesty's Government is concerned about reports of the growth of unregistered, unlicensed and unmonitored orphanages overseas, where the risk of exploitation is high. Any UK organisations who are involved in fundraising efforts for overseas institutions should rigorously check with local authorities in the relevant country as to whether the institutions are registered. We are considering how our Embassies and High Commissions can facilitate contact between UK organisations and local authorities, including through Travel Advice. They also take account of sensibilities around faith-group involvement in such work

Travel: Insurance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department is having with insurance companies on steps to ensure that holiday insurance covers staying in private hospitals as well as state hospitals overseas.

Harriett Baldwin: One of our consular priorities is to encourage an increased proportion of British travellers and residents to take out appropriate travel insurance. We have strengthened our engagement with the insurance industry, including ways to improve the insurance offer for British nationals. Although the type of hospital an insurance policy covers is a matter for the insurer and their customers, our engagement with the industry enables us to raise cases of concern. For example, where British nationals have difficulty accessing medical care, despite valid insurance being in place, we do engage with insurers on a case-by-case basis to ensure that affected British nationals can access medical care as quickly as possible.

China: Aviation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Chinese Government on the UK's commercial participation in that country's economic strategy for aviation.

Mark Field: There are a number of formal mechanisms where the UK Government engages with the Chinese Government on that country’s economic strategy for aviation. These include:- the annual Government to Government Aviation Working Group, which discusses issues relating to aerospace. The last meeting took place in the UK in November 2017.- the Airport Working Sub-Group, which looks at the development of airports and related infrastructure. This last met in Beijing in March 2018.In addition, the Department for Transport is exploring cooperation with the Air Traffic Management Bureau of China, and arranged a visit to the UK for its Director-General in November 2017 to meet the National Air Traffic Service and see operations at London Heathrow.Finally, the bilateral Air Services Agreement between the UK and China was recently revised, and the number of services that airlines are allowed to operate between the UK and China has been increased to 150 per week. This creates opportunities for airlines from both countries to increase their flights to each other’s cities.​

Ethiopia: Security

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of recent inter-ethnic fighting in southern Ethiopia for the overall security situation in that country.

Boris Johnson: The British Government is concerned by recent clashes along the internal border between Somali Regional State and Oromia. We have reinforced the need for all actors to resolve grievances peacefully rather than through violence, and for all security forces to exercise restraint. I welcome the focus placed on this by new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy, including in his visit to Jijiga, capital of Somali Regional State. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Ethiopia: Detainees

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ethiopia on the recent detention of protesters in the Somali region of that country.

Boris Johnson: We have repeatedly raised concerns with the Ethiopian Government around the widespread use of detention powers, and the arrest and imprisonment of people for expressing political views. We are monitoring the situation in the Somali region.

Ethiopia: Emergency Powers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Ethiopia on lifting the state of emergency in place in that country.

Boris Johnson: The British Government has made clear our concern and disappointment at the imposition of the current State of Emergency, and our strong hope that it will be lifted as soon as possible. We have urged the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that human rights and the constitution are respected, and made clear that widespread use of detention powers and internet blockages should be avoided. In this regard, we welcomed the recent move to switch mobile internet back on across the country – this had been shut off outside the capital for several months.

Ethiopia: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ethiopia on the commitment of the Prime Minister of that country to hold credible national elections; and what information he holds on the timetable for such elections to be held.

Boris Johnson: National elections are scheduled to be held in Ethiopia in 2020. The UK continues to press for the opening up of political space in Ethiopia, and to work to support these elections being genuinely competitive.

Ethiopia: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ethiopia on the postponement of local elections in that country; and what information he holds on the new timetable for such elections to be held.

Boris Johnson: The Ethiopian Government has said that local elections will take place during the next Ethiopian calendar year, that is, between September 2018 and September 2019. We will continue to monitor closely developments regarding local elections.

Eritrea: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the outcome of the April 2018 visit by that country's Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs to Eritrea.

Boris Johnson: I have not discussed this matter with my US counterpart. However, my officials are in regular and direct contact with their US counterparts.

East Africa: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for initiating a dialogue between the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea on normalising relations between those two countries; and what steps he is taking to support the initiation of such a dialogue.

Boris Johnson: I welcome the offer of dialogue with Eritrea made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy in his 2 April inaugural speech, which will be necessary to end the tensions between those two countries.

Paraguay: Discrimination

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Paraguay on the adoption of a comprehensive law against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council as set out in the report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Paraguay published on 12 April 2016.

Boris Johnson: The British Embassy in Paraguay regularly raises these issues with the Government of Paraguay. The Secretary of State for Scotland discussed issues related to discrimination during his visit to Paraguay in September 2017. He discussed human rights with the Deputy Foreign Minister while noting Paraguay's co-operation with the UK on human rights issues at the UN Human Rights Council. We will continue to seek opportunities to press the Paraguayan Government to deliver against the recommendations in their 2016 Universal Periodic Review.

Venezuela: Election Observers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the potential deployment of an EU Election Observation Mission to monitor the Presidential election due to be held in Venezuela on 20 May 2018 following the recent invitation issued by the Foreign Minister of that country.

Boris Johnson: The UK supports the EU's calls on the Venezuelan Government to ensure free, transparent and credible elections that allow the participation of all political parties under equal conditions, an agreed and viable electoral calendar and all technical guarantees necessary for elections to conform to international standards. Such conditions, which are absent, are necessary to allow for full and independent international observations missions.

Venezuela: Conditions of Employment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in Venezuela on the Government of that country co-operating fully with the Commission of Inquiry launched by the International Labour Organisation on 21 March 2018 in relation to alleged violations of workers' rights in that country.

Boris Johnson: The UK, together with EU colleagues, supported the decision by the International Labour Organisation's Governing Body decision to appoint a Commission of Inquiry for the Venezuela case. We have no plans to engage with Venezuela further on the issue.

Egypt: Torture

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the use of torture in Egyptian (a) prisons and (b) detention centres by (i) police and (ii) other security officials of that country.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about reports of torture and mistreatment in detention in Egypt and continue to raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities. We have raised our concerns in public, through the UN Human Rights Council and through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Human Rights Priority Country reports; and in private, in meetings with Egyptian officials in London and Cairo. Our Ambassador to Egypt last raised human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities on 18 April.The UK wants to see more political progress and better protection of human rights in Egypt, including implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt’s constitution.

Philippines: Religion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of the Philippines on the expulsion of church and faith leaders from that country.

Mark Field: The Government is firmly committed to freedom of religion or belief, and promoting respect and tolerance. We have regular discussions with the Philippines on a broad range of issues, including security, human rights and prosperity, but the expulsion of faith leaders is not a topic we have specifically discussed.​

Abbas Edalet

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Iranian Government on the detention of Professor Abbas Edalet.

Alistair Burt: The Iranian authorities have confirmed the arrest of a British-Iranian dual national in Tehran. We continue to take action on all our consular cases in Iran in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases.

Nordic Council

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK having observer status at the Nordic Council.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government is committed to strengthening relationships and cooperation with the countries of the Nordic Council, both bilaterally and through regional fora. We follow with interest the Council's regional work and seek opportunities, when appropriate, for discussion with Nordic Council interlocutors on areas of common interest. Observer status and attendance at sessions of the Nordic Council is at the invitation of the Presidium of the Council.

Palestinians: Reconstruction

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the international community to honour the reconstruction pledges made at the 2014 Cairo conference.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK has disbursed its £20 million pledge of early recovery assistance made at the 2014 Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. This includes supporting for cash assistance to Palestinian refugees, mine removal and medical treatment. We encourage other donors and the international community to continue work towards reconstruction in Gaza.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Government of Bahrain the UN statement calling for to end military trials against civilians and a retrial for the prisoners, Mohamed AbdulHasan AlMutaghawi, Fadhel Sayed Radhi, Sayed Alawi Husain and Mubarak Adel Mubarak Mahanna, who received the death sentence.

Alistair Burt: The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain on a range of issues. The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We continue to make this clear to the Government of Bahrain. The UK welcomes the decision of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on 26 April to commute these death sentences.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to raise with the Government of Bahrain the conditions and lack of access to medical care of the female political prisoners, Hajer Mansoor Hassan and Medina Ali, in that country.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Embassy in Bahrain are aware of these cases and continue to monitor events. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We understand that the National Institution for Human Rights is aware of these cases and is monitoring the situation, and that the Ombudsman of the Ministry of Interior is also investigating the claims.

Iran: Political Prisoners

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of recent reports of systematic destruction of mass graves of political prisoners in Iran.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by reports about the destruction of mass graves of political prisoners in Iran. Due to the age of the graves such reports prove difficult to independently verify. This is why, when a new UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran is appointed, we will be calling on Iran to grant them access so they can investigate human rights concerns reported there, including this issue.

Russia: Football

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consular protections are at present available to British visitors to Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and other 2018 Football World Cup venues in Russia; and whether he has any plans to increase those protections in time for the World Cup.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government's number one priority for the World Cup is the safety and security of British fans planning to travel to Russia. We have been preparing for this tournament for two years, working closely with the police, the FA and the fans themselves. Officials have visited all host cities and met with Russian officials to see first-hand the challenges that travelling supporters may face. We have published specialist travel advice online (Be on the Ball), which is regularly updated. The UK has representation at our Embassy in Moscow and the British Consulates-General in Ekaterinburg and St Petersburg. British nationals needing help or advice will be able to contact consular officers by telephone 24/7. A mobile embassy with consular support will be present on match days in all of the cities where England play.

Russia: Football

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will he conduct an urgent review of the advice given by his Department to England football supporters planning to travel to the World Cup in Russia.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government's number one priority for the World Cup is the safety and security of British fans planning to travel to Russia. We have published specialist travel advice online (Be on the Ball) which is regularly updated and promoted to British fans planning to travel to Russia for the tournament. And the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Travel Advice for Russia, as with all travel advice, is under constant review and was last updated on 2 May. We will continue to work with the Russian authorities to ensure that any and all British fans travelling to the World Cup stay safe.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage all parties to participate in the peace process in South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK continues to put pressure on all sides to engage constructively with the next phase of the High Level Revitalisation Forum of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), scheduled for May.We strongly condemn ongoing violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed in December, by all parties including the Government. We urge IGAD to take immediate action to ensure that those who undermine the peace process, face consequences for their actions, to leave the parties in no doubt about the region's commitment to peace.We played a leading role in securing EU sanctions in February to discourage obstruction of the process and to incentivise positive engagement, and continue to call for a UN arms embargo on South Sudan.

Cabinet Office

Mass Media: Standards

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for the Government's announced unit to tackle fake news to commence operations.

Mr David Lidington: Two complementary teams are addressing the Government’s response to the communication challenge posed by disinformation, or so-called “fake news”.The National Security Communications Team, which is already in operation, has as its purpose to allow government to tackle more effectively the communications elements of complex, interconnected challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.The Rapid Response Unit, has been recently launched with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive. The Unit is part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) and based in No10 & the Cabinet Office.

National Fraud Initiative

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been taken in fees to the National Fraud Initiative from (a) the public sector, b) the private sector and (c) mandatory reporting bodies in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the costs of running the National Fraud Initiative have been in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants work on the National Fraud Initiative.

Chloe Smith: The information relating to fee income and operating costs will be published in the NFI 2016/17 report, scheduled for summer 2018.Information on fees levied on individual participating organisations is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-fraud-initiativeAs at 31 March 2018 there were eight permanently funded civil servant posts.

Cabinet Office: Plastics

Thelma Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics.

Oliver Dowden: Interserve (our Facilities Management Contractor) have taken an active stance in reducing our impact on the environment, through their SustainAbilities programme. As a result, they have implemented a number of supply chain and contract specific initiatives to tackle waste, and impact on the environment.Together with Interserve we have taken a number of visible actions across our catering operations, for example the use of Vegware coffee cups which are compostable.Additionally, we are reviewing the benefits of switching plastic cutlery and take away plastic containers with a Vegware alternative, swapping out plastic water cups for glasses, and have implemented dispensers for condiments to replace single use sachets in our restaurant.Beyond this Interserve are assessing our wider operations to determine where we can reduce avoidable plastic waste, and swap with more sustainable solutions where appropriate.

Internet

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on the provision of paper copies of (a) information and (b) application forms to people who do not have the requisite skills to access that information online.

Oliver Dowden: For the services it provides the Government has committed to ensuring that assistance is always available for those who are not online. To ensure that an appropriate offline route is available the Government Digital Service mandates government departments to provide assisted digital (offline) support for their services, where it is required, and assures this via its service assessment process.

Ethnic Groups: Kirklees

Thelma Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136610, how the Government plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the Race Disparity Unit in Kirklees when it does not record how many people it has engaged with by location.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26th April 2018 to Question 136610, on Ethnic Groups: Kirklees, how many (a) individuals, (b) community organisations, (c) local authorities and (d) academics the Race Disparity Unit has engaged with since it was created.

Mr David Lidington: The Ethnicity Facts and Figures website features data across a wide range of areas including health, education, employment, housing and criminal justice. The Government is committed to updating the data as it changes. Some of the data details disparities by local authority, including Kirklees, and will identify changes over time.The Race Disparity Unit does not collect data on the number of people engaged with in precise locations. Officials have met individuals including members of the public from Kirklees, local charity and community organisations and the local authority.

Suicide: Children

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the suicide rates are for people under the age of 18 in the (a) North East and (b) UK.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
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Cabinet Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what training is provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on the scrutiny and legislative role of Parliament.

Oliver Dowden: For all civil servants, including Fast Streamers and SCS, Civil Service Learning provides one-day workshops on Understanding Parliament, which are delivered at Foundation (introduction) and Practitioner (advanced) levels. Both of these workshops cover Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. Dedicated training sessions covering specific topics are also available. These include Introduction to Parliament, Select Committees, Debates and Voting, Pre and Post Legislative Scrutiny, Parliamentary Questions, Delegated Legislation, and Primary Legislation. A half-day workshop is available on producing effective explanatory memoranda to accompany secondary legislation. The Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary Business and Legislation Team provide training to Bill Teams. The Government Legal Department and Parliamentary Counsel run a course on Dealing with Parliamentary Bills for Lawyers, which covers parliamentary stages and handling. Stand-alone events are run, eg during Parliament Week. Bespoke sessions for government departments are available on request.

Civil Servants: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the KPMG Civil Service Learning contract for the provision of civil service training.

Oliver Dowden: The KPMG Civil Service Learning contract provides a common core curriculum of learning for Civil Servants. The effectiveness of the performance of KPMG is assessed through evaluation of the learning provision. Between April 2017 and March 2018, 144,000 delegates have attended 8,200 learning events. Evaluation of this learning suggest that the vast majority of learners felt the learning was effective, and that they expect it to make a positive difference to their performance in the workplace.

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Expenditure over £25,000 - March 2018, published on 2 May 2018, what the payments to Calder World of Travel were for.

Oliver Dowden: Payments over £25,000 relating to the Calder World of Travel in March 2018 covered two Cabinet Office activities - the Grenfell Inquiry; and the hiring of facilities and equipment for the Commercial Function Leadership Conference and Exhibition.

Cabinet Office: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of Non-disclosure agreements. Therefore, the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Civil Servants

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed in the Civil Service in July 2016.

Oliver Dowden: The official figures on Civil Service employment are produced by the Office for National Statistics as part of their Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics. As at the end of June 2016 figures were 415,700 on a headcount basis and 384,230 on a full-time equivalent basis.

Civil Servants

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed in the Civil Service in April 2018.

Oliver Dowden: The official figures on Civil Service employment are produced by the Office for National Statistics as part of their Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics. The latest data were published 21 March 2018 and showed Civil Service employment was 426,670 on a headcount basis and 395,760 on a full-time equivalent basis as at the end of December 2017.

Department of Health and Social Care

CJD

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many diagnosed cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were reported in the UK in each year since 2012.

Steve Brine: Diagnosed cases of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease since 2012 can be accessed here: https://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/figs.pdf

General Practitioners: Training

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many general practice speciality training posts have been (a) commissioned and (b) filled to date.

Steve Brine: In 2017, there were 3,250 general practice speciality training posts available, of which 3,157 were filled. In 2018, 3,250 places have been made available and the fill rate will be published on Health Education England’s website at the end of May 2018.

Hearing Impairment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients waited more than six weeks for (a) an initial NHS hearing assessment and (b) a follow-up NHS hearing aid assessment in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information is not collected in the requested format. The diagnostic waiting time standard is that 99% of National Health Service diagnostic tests should be carried out within a maximum of six weeks of referral. The latest performance data show that in February 2018 the standard for audiology assessment tests was not met with 2.0% of patients waiting six weeks or more from referral to test.

Audiology

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has spent on audiology services in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The estimated cost of providing National Health Service audiology services in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. YearEstimated total cost (£ millions)2012-13£2272013-14£3182014-15£3232015-16£2492016-17£250 Source: NHS Improvement Reference Costs

Parkinson's Disease

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated from the public purse for research into Parkinson's disease in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Parkinson’s disease. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR’s support for Parkinson’s disease research over the last five years is estimated to total over £10.2 million and includes funding for research projects and clinical trials through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. Financial Year (FY) 2013/14FY 2014/15FY 2015/16FY 2016/17FY 2017/18Total£2,176,651£1,981,228£2,182,501£1,979,283£1,897,159£10,216,822

Brain: Tumours

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were living with a diagnosed brain or inter-cranial tumour on the last date for which figures are available.

Steve Brine: The most recent data available shows that at the end of 2015, there were 15,004 people in England living after a diagnosis of brain cancer. This data are available in the ‘Cancer Prevalence in England – 21 year prevalence by demographic and geographic measures’ table, available here: http://www.ncin.org.uk/about_ncin/segmentation

Paediatrics

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve diagnosis and treatment times in paediatric services.

Stephen Barclay: Paediatric services are covered by the Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times standard that requires commissioners to make arrangements to ensure that at least 92% of patients referred to see a consultant-led team should start their treatment within 18 weeks. Part of the £1.6 billion additional funding that the National Health Service will receive in 2018/19 will be used to deliver the actions set out in the NHS planning guidance for 2018-19 as key steps towards recovering performance on core access standards, including RTT.

Eyesight

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the rate was of (a) age-related macular degeneration, (b) glaucoma and (c) diabetic retinopathy per 100,000 population by age group in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Steve Brine: Data is not collected centrally showing the total numbers of people living with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy per 100,000 population. The Public Health Outcomes Framework tracks the number of people newly certified as blind or sight impaired due to age-related macular degeneration (aged 65 or over), diabetic retinopathy (aged 12 or over) and glaucoma (aged 40 or over) per 100,000 population. The latest statistics were published on 1 May 2018 and are available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data#page/0/gid/1000044/pat/6/par/E12000004/ati/102/are/E06000015/iid/41203/age/227/sex/4

Eyesight: Testing

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many free sight tests were provided on the NHS to people aged (a) under and (b) 60 years old and over in England in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The numbers of National Health Service sight tests recorded as provided on the grounds the patient is aged 60 and over are set out in the following table.  2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Aged 60 and over5,480,7115,576,9575,507,9325,651,0256,262,242All NHS sight tests provided in England are free at the point of delivery. NHS Digital publishes regular information on the number of NHS sight tests provided broken down by eligibility criteria. The latest available data are for the reporting period 2016-17. All those aged 60 or over are eligible for an NHS sight test. These data are published as part of the General Ophthalmic Services activity statistics - England, year ending 31 March 2017 release, which is available at the following link: http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30012

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding there has been from the public purse for research into treatment of (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis in the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR’s support for Crohn’s disease research over the last five years includes £18.2 million funding for research projects, and £10.8 million funding for clinical trials and other high quality studies supported through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. Summary of NIHR funding for research on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis is attached.  



PQ140120 attached document
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Pneumococcal Diseases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average (a) length and (b) cost to the public purse was of hospitals admissions owing to a case of pneumococcal disease in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold the data in the format requested. There are two pneumococcal diseases listed with ICD – 10 codes: pneumococcal meningitis and pneumococcal arthritis. The following table shows the estimated average unit cost for healthcare resource groups (HRG) roots that would include the above pneumococcal diseases (England 2016-17). Reference costs for acute care are collected by HRG, which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use common levels of healthcare resource.HRG RootEstimated average unit cost (£ thousands)Cerebrovascular Accident, Nervous System Infections or Encephalopathy£2.5Infections of Bones or Joints£3.4Paediatric Febrile Neutropenia with Malignancy£7.9Paediatric Major Infections£2.3Source: NHS Improvement Reference Costs Pneumococcal meningitis could be grouped to the following HRG root:- Cerebrovascular Accident, Nervous System Infections or Encephalopathy;- Paediatric Febrile Neutropenia with Malignancy; and- Paediatric Major Infections. Pneumococcal arthritis and polyarthritis could be grouped to the following HRG root:- Infections of Bones or Joints;- Paediatric Febrile Neutropenia with Malignancy; and- Paediatric Major Infections. A number of other diseases and treatments can be grouped to these HRG roots, so it is not possible to derive an average unit cost for pneumococcal diseases. The following table shows the number of finished admission episodes and mean duration for pneumococcal diseases:  FAEsMean episode duration (days)2016-1750514.87Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes: 1. FAEs A FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2. Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3. Pneumococcal disease A40.3 Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae.G00.1 Pneumococcal meningitis.J13.X Pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae.M00.1 Pneumococcal arthritis and polyarthritis.B95.3 Streptococcus pneumoniae as the cause of diseases classified to other chapters.B95.3 is a supplementary code and would only be found in a secondary position. It indicates Streptococcus pneumoniae as the cause of another disease classified to another chapter within ICD-10.

Hepatitis

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of hepatitis C there have been in the UK in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: Public Health England receives laboratory reports of hepatitis C cases from England and Wales; these reports are presented by year in the following tables. Data for the combined laboratory reports for England and Wales are available from 2013 and published in the Quarterly laboratory-confirmed hepatitis A virus and hepatitis C reports in England and Wales, available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laboratory-reports-of-hepatitis-a-and-c-2017 Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by year, England and Wales, 2013 to 2016Year2013201420152016Number of laboratory reports11,69211,99711,62611,322 Source: From the Health Protection Report: Laboratory reports of hepatitis C: annual data. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by year, England, 2010-2012Year201020112012Number of laboratory reports7818983510,987 Source: From Hepatitis C in England: 2018 report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693917/HCV_in_England_2018.pdf Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by year, Wales 2010-2012Year201020112012Number of laboratory reports318486502 Source: From Hepatitis C in the UK 2015: annual report https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/448710/NEW_FINAL_HCV_2015_IN_THE_UK_REPORT_28072015_v2.pdf

Cancer

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of research into rare and less common cancers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR expenditure on cancer research has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £137 million in 2016/17. This is the largest NIHR spend in a disease area. The NIHR is funding and supporting a range of research on rare and less common cancers. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not ring-fence funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications. We would welcome more high-quality research applications on rare and less common cancers. The Department works closely with Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, and others via the National Cancer Research Institute, which is a national strategic partnership of the major United Kingdom funders of cancer research. The Department is also investing in the 100,000 Genomes Project, which will create a major resource for research. Genomic technologies integrated into healthcare will change how we think about and treat many diseases, particularly cancer, and supports the move from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to treatments and interventions, to more tailored approaches known as ‘personalised medicine’. The Project is now accelerating, with over 72,000 samples and 44,500 sequences returned. All grades and types of gliomas, but also rarer brain tumours such as embryonal tumours, pineal tumours, germ cell tumours and neuronal tumours are included in the project.

Parkinson's Disease

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) detection and (b) treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance ‘Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care’, updated in 2017, sets out best practice for clinicians in the identification and treatment of Parkinson’s disease in line with the latest available evidence. The guidance states that Parkinson's disease should be suspected in people presenting with tremor, stiffness, slowness, balance problems and/or gait disorder, and that, where suspected, patients should be referred promptly to a specialist with expertise in the differential diagnosis of this condition. The guidance covers a range of diagnostic approaches that may be employed to support a diagnosis. The recommended treatments for Parkinson’s disease are largely drug based. The NICE guidance states that patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short- and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available. The guidance makes it clear that other supportive treatments may also be appropriate. These can include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. The NICE guidance can be found at the following link:  www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71 NHS England also commissions two treatments for Parkinson’s disease in line with the published suitability criteria, including:- deep brain stimulation for patients tremor and dystonia;- Levodopa Carbidopa intestinal gel for patients with severe motor fluctuations; and hyper/dyskinesia when available combinations of medicinal products are unsatisfactory More information on these commissioning policies can be found on the NHS England website at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d04/

Health Services

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the response from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to the consultation on Developing a method to assist investment decisions in specialised commissioning, published on 2 June 2016.

Steve Brine: NHS England does not publish individual responses to consultations that the respondent has not themselves put into the public domain. However, NHS England did publish a comprehensive independent analysis of all consultation feedback as part of the consultation response. This can be found at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/investment-decisions/

Midland Metropolitan Hospital Smethwick

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on coordinating the restart of work on the Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick.

Stephen Barclay: We are determined to finish construction as quickly as possible and to do this in a way that secures best value for the tax payer. We are in active discussions with all relevant parties to restart the project as soon as possible.

Incontinence

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidelines.

Steve Brine: NHS England published the Excellence in Continence Care guidance in 2015 in order to help support best practice in continence care, and the Department would expect local commissioners to both draw on the guidance and monitor progress in improving continence care.

Incontinence: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what assessment his Department has made of the availability of Level 1 paediatric continence services for (a) school nurses, (b) health visitors and (c) GPs to provide preventative early treatment for (i) bladder and (ii) bowel problems in children.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning continence services and work with local partners to ensure the appropriate level of services are provided dependent upon local need. CCGs may choose to commission the health visiting and school nursing service to deliver continence services. Public Health England (PHE) has developed commissioning guidance to support local public health delivery; the guidance also clarifies the commissioning responsibilities for continence services. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-0-to-19-health-visitor-and-school-nurse-commissioning Continence services are not included in the public health grant and PHE has not undertaken a national assessment of continence services.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many young people under the age of 18 were referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the North East in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested.

Incontinence

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Paediatric Continence Commissioning Guide published in 2014 and accredited by NICE.

Steve Brine: No national assessment of the effect of the guidance has been made. The paediatric continence commissioning guide sets out a clear set of specifications for commissioners to follow, including for paediatric incontinence services. The Department expects local commissioners to draw on the guide in commissioning services and to keep their incontinence services under review.

Mental Health Services: Children

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated from the public purse for youth mental health services in Northumberland in 2018-19; and whether there are plans for an increase to that funding in future years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is forecasting to spend £4,168,019 on youth mental health services in 2018/19. This represents an increase in spending of £503,894 from 2017/18. It is for local commissioners to determine what they budget and spend on services determined by local needs based assessments. However, the recently published National Health Service planning guidance states that all CCGs must meet the Mental Health Investment Standard, which requires investment on mental health to increase at least as much as their overall health allocations. Mental health spend data by CCG is available in the published mental health dashboard for 2016/17 and for 2017/18 plan.

Mental Health Services: Children

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to reduce waiting times for access to mental health services in the North East.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to reducing waiting times for mental health services across England. Performance against Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) waiting time standards continues to improve. According to the 2016-17 Improving Access to Psychological Therapies annual report, 98.2% of those people completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks for their treatment to start in England (exceeding the target of 95%) and 87.5% of people completing treatment waited less than six weeks (exceeding the target of 75%). In 2016–17, 965,379 people entered treatment (exceeding the target of 900,000). The Government has also introduced the first waiting time standards to improve outcomes for people experiencing their first episode of psychosis so that by April 2016 50% of people will have access to a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved care package within two weeks of referral, rising to 60% by 2020/21. 76.7% of patients experiencing their first episode of psychosis started treatment within two weeks in February 2018. For children and young people, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with an eating disorder has access to timely treatment and has therefore set up the first waiting times to improve access to eating disorder services. This is to ensure that by 2020/21 95% of children with an eating disorder will receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and within four weeks for routine cases. Latest figures for the third quarter of 2017/18 indicate that the National Health Service is on track to meet that standard with almost 76.9% of all patients starting urgent treatment within one week and 83.1% of patients starting routine treatment within four weeks The Mental Health Investment Standard is being introduced into NHS planning guidance from 2018/19, all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will have to meet it. Information on individual CCG performance against these targets are published on the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard. Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/

GP Surgeries

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to parish councils in assisting doctors' surgeries to find suitable venues for general practice.

Steve Brine: General practitioners are independent contractors and therefore it is primarily for them to identify suitable premises from which to provide National Health Service primary medical services. NHS England offers support to practices where necessary, without the need to engage parish councils.

Continuing Care

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure the planned efficiency savings of £855 million from the NHS Continuing Healthcare budget will be achieved without restricting access to care.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England’s NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Strategic Improvement Programme (SIP) aims to provide fair access to NHS CHC in a way which ensures better outcomes, better experience, and better use of resources. The SIP will not change the threshold for eligibility for NHS CHC, which is based on a multidisciplinary assessment of needs as set out in the National Framework for NHS CHC and NHS-funded Nursing Care, together with secondary legislation to give statutory effect to the eligibility criteria and the decision-making processes. There should be no quota or cap on access to CHC funding and the programme does not aim to reduce spending on NHS CHC, but to reduce the rate of growth of expenditure. The projection is for spending on NHS CHC to increase by over 20% by 2020/21, or an average of approximately 3.9% per year. NHS England understands that there is variation on how individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are commissioning these services, and SIP will be developing a range of commissioning tools to support CCGs in this role to deliver more efficient services. Actions such as these and the Department’s recent review of the National Framework will ensure that we can deliver efficiency savings in our administration of CHC without restricting access to care.

Spinal Injuries: Hospital Beds

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that beds in spinal cord injury centres are prioritised for the use of people with spinal cord injuries who require specialist care in future winters.

Steve Brine: NHS England commissions specialised spinal care from eight centres in England for patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury, totalling 374 beds. The service is managed locally and delivered by spinal cord injury specialists, both within the spinal cord injury centres and as outreach to acute hospitals and following discharge for transition and reintegration into the community. NHS England’s national team has advised that it is not aware of any intelligence to suggest that a spinal cord injury patient has been denied a specialist bed during the winter period due to its use by a non-spinal cord injury patient.

Incontinence: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on paediatric continence services of the transfer of public health commissioning responsibilities from NHS England to local authorities in 2015.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made.

Diabetes

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the number of registered diabetics in each clinical commissioning group area.

Steve Brine: Information is not available in the format requested. The number of patients aged 17 or over with diabetes mellitus, by clinical commissioning group in England for 2016-17 can be found in the attached table.



PQ140137 attached document
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Lung Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the matching of donated lungs with people waiting for lung transplants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donor organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for promoting organ donation, maintaining the national transplant waiting list and the matching and offering of donated organs. The policies for allocating lungs are developed in collaboration with the Cardiothoracic Advisory Group (comprised of cardiothoracic surgeons (lung and heart), commissioners and NHSBT) to ensure that the processes are clear, transparent and clinically effective. New systems were introduced in May 2017, to help ensure that the available lungs are offered to the most clinically urgent patients on the transplant waiting list. Since this policy has been introduced, the following improvements have been observed:- An increase in the number of patients receiving a transplant within one month of listing, with those in the clinically urgent groups receiving a transplant within two weeks on average; and- A 15% increase in the number of lung transplants performed nationally. The policies and processes relating to lung donation and allocation are monitored closely by NHSBT and further amendments will be made to the allocation policy if necessary.

Mental Health: Young People

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of social media on young people's mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Evidence has shown links between certain increases in social media use and poorer mental health, however it is not clear whether increased use causes poorer mental health. For example, it is possible that poorer mental health drives an increase in use of social media. To better understand the relationship between social media and the mental health of children and young people up to 25 years old, the Chief Medical Officer is leading a systematic review to examine all relevant international research in the area. The review will inform a report from the Chief Medical Officer, expected for publication next year. The Department has also commissioned NHS Digital to undertake a Children and Young People’s Mental Health Survey to examine the prevalence of mental disorders. The survey report is planned to include a topic on mental health prevalence in relation to a number of behaviours including social media and cyber-bullying, and is expected for publication in autumn 2018. A brief study of children's mental ill-health by time spent on social networking sites was carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 2013/14 and can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/adhocs/006721childrensmentalillhealthbytimespentonsocialnetworkingsitesuk2013to2014

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2018 to Question 138009, what estimate he has made of the cost of answering that Question; and if he will publish a breakdown of those costs.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In order to answer the question it would require a significant amount of new analysis to interrogate the Mental Health Services Data Set. NHS Digital has determined the cost of answering the Question to be approximately £2,854, consisting of £2,650 for the cost of producing the analysis, checking and formatting the reply, and £204 for the cost of manager validation and internal clearances.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that mental health services for children and young people are able to benefit from an annual uplift in their recurrent additional funding as originally envisaged by NHS England.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that local transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health provide transparency on total spend in each area and not just spend of additional funding allocated by NHS England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on total spend on mental health services for children and young people is published in NHS England’s five year forward view for mental health dashboard, available at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard This includes expenditure against additional funding which is not reported separately. Clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) recurrent baseline allocations are uplifted annually, and this includes funding for mental health services for children and young people. NHS England tracks mental health expenditure by CCGs against the Mental Health Investment Standard, which requires an increase in spend on mental health by at least the amount of overall recurrent baseline allocations. Currently 85% of CCGs are meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard and recent NHS Planning Guidance for 2018/19 requires all CCGs to meet the standard.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will issue statutory guidance to local authorities and health service providers to ensure the quality and implementation of local transformation plans for children and young people's mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government’s Mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 sets out the objectives and deliverables that NHS England is legally obliged to seek to achieve. The Mandate includes an objective for NHS England to work with system partners to deliver the Future in Mind recommendations, and support Government priorities and commitments to improving mental health for children and young people. Local transformation plans now form part of sustainability and transformation plans.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 8231, for what reasons his Department is unable to provide a breakdown of how the £30 million of additional money for community eating disorders services for children and young people was allocated to clinical commissioning groups when it was able to provide that information in the Answer of 2 November 2016 to Question 50911.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The £30 million funding for Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder services in 2016/17 was an initial allocation made in addition to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) baseline funding. For subsequent years funding has been incorporated into core CCG baseline allocations. This is normal as a programme moves from being a new initiative into a delivery requirement for all CCGs as part of their general commissioning responsibilities and helps to enable services to be planned for as part of the regular planning cycle. Planned spend for 2017/18 by individual CCGs on Eating Disorder services has been included within the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard. This can be viewed at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/

Ecstasy

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions related to ecstasy use there have been in (a) Manchester and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions related to cocaine use there have been in (a) Manchester and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions related to (a) fentanyl and (b) carfentanyl there have been in (a) Manchester and (b) the UK in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: The information requested on hospital admissions related to ecstasy use, fentanyl and carfentanyl in Manchester and United Kingdom is not held in the format requested. NHS Digital has provided the attached table on the count of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis recorded for cocaine use, by clinical commissioning group of treatment in England, 2012-13 to 2016-17.



PQ141356 attached document
(Word Document, 49.86 KB)

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what training her Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID has provided a range of in-house learning on devolution, including one to one training and training tailored for specific teams. Learning material is made available to staff at all grades. DFID provided two devolution training days (2016 and 2017) with specialist staff and learning materials available in public areas in both London and East Kilbride HQ locations. A number of DFID staff also attended devolution events run by the Cabinet Office and other UK Government Departments. DFID has not provided training on inter-governmental relations. All staff have access to the Civil Service e-learning training related to devolution and inter-governmental relations courses listed below:Devolution and intergovernmental working workshopDevolution and intergovernmental working (online e-learning only)EU exit: devolution settlements and intergovernmental working event (seminar)

Department for International Development: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many leak enquiries her Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Harriett Baldwin: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so. The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Department for International Development: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many non-disclosure agreements her Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Harriett Baldwin: The number of non-disclosure agreements signed by DFID in each of the last five years is shown in the below table: 20132014201520162017Fewer than 5NilNilNilNil

East Africa: Refugees

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to tackle gender-based violence in relation to refugees covered by the Khartoum process in East Africa.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is a respected international leader on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all forms, and is taking a range of actions to prevent and address the effects of gender-based violence on refugees, including in East Africa. In November 2017, the Secretary of State for International Development announced £12 million of new funding over a three-year period for the UN Trust Fund to End VAWG, with dedicated funding to prevent and address violence against women and girl refugees. The UK is also investing £25 million over five years in a flagship research and innovation programme in preventing and addressing VAWG, which includes working with women and girls among Somali refugees in Kenya. The UK is a member of the steering group for the Khartoum Process, and has ensured the €46 million Better Migration Management programme that supports the process includes projects to improve the protection and support of migrants.

Department for International Development: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the job titles are of civil servants in her Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Harriett Baldwin: There are no Civil Servants in DFID who have been provided with an official car or driver.

Department for Education

Schools: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding in cash terms was provided per pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in Coventry South constituency in each of the last 18 financial years.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 27 April 2018



The revenue funding allocated for primary and secondary education for each financial year from 2000 to 2018 for Coventry local authority (LA) is shown in the attached table. Funding is not allocated separately for primary and secondary pupils. Data for capital funding allocated to local areas prior to 2011/12 is not readily available. Coventry local authority has received around £75 million of core capital allocations from the Department for Education from 2011-12 to 2017-18 financial year. The Department’s total capital budget for education from 2011-12 to 2018-19 is over £39 billion, including budgeted spend for 2017-18 and 2018-19. This covers condition allocations for maintained and voluntary aided schools, Devolved Formula Capital and basic need funding. It does not include other condition funding allocated directly to academies, sixth form colleges and Multi Academy Trusts (MAT) within their area. Larger MATs receive allocations and often allocate funding across constituency and LA boundaries. Funding for smaller or standalone trusts and sixth form colleges is also not included, as they are instead eligible for funding through the annual Condition Improvement Fund. Additional funding is also available through centrally delivered programmes, including the £4.4 billion Priority Schools Building Programme. Published data on capital allocations is available on the GOV.UK website.



Revenue_amounts_primary_and_secondary_education
(PDF Document, 166.36 KB)

Schools: Finance

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department allocated to schools in (a) Harborough constituency (b) Leicestershire (c) Leicester and (d) England in each financial year since 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the funding that will be allocated to those areas under the National Funding Formula for (i) 2018-19 and (ii) 2019-20.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 30 April 2018



The Department primarily allocates revenue funding for schools at local authority level. Individual schools’ allocations are determined according to the local formula set by the local authority, in consultation with schools. It remains our intention that every school’s budget should be set on the basis of a single, national formula, but we believe a period of transition will provide greater stability for schools. Revenue funding for schools allocated by the Department to Leicester, Leicestershire, and England in each year since 2013-14 is shown in the table below:£m2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19LeicesterSchools block200.54205.61211.37226.70230.84240.64High Needs block38.4140.2140.4841.1048.0148.57CSSB1n/an/an/an/an/a1.87LeicestershireSchools block338.09339.66362.79368.92368.28380.14High Needs block49.5652.3452.8453.8763.1665.98CSSB1n/an/an/an/an/a3.28EnglandSchools block30,411.7330,655.1231,365.5132,650.3133,093.6033,683.97High Needs block4,966.895,183.875,246.545,299.875,826.845,986.95CSSB1n/an/an/an/an/a468.61 Note that, in 2017-18, the balance between the Schools Block and High Needs block for every local authority was re-balanced, to reflect previous years’ decisions on the local distribution of spending between schools, high needs and early years. In the case of Leicestershire, total funding increased in that year from £422.79m in 2016-17 to £431.44m in 2017-18.  Prior to 2013-14, the Department did not break the dedicated schools grant (DSG) into specific blocks. Total DSG allocations for the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 are shown below, but these figures are not comparable to those above because they cover schools, high needs and early years funding. DSG £m2010/112011/122012/13Leicester204.16244.96247.64Leicestershire349.43400.93402.13England31,195.4536,543.9636,855.00 Funding for 2019-20 will be determined later this year, on the basis of the October 2018 census. The Department published notional allocations, based on 2017-18 pupil numbers and characteristics, alongside the outcome to the national funding formula consultation in September 2017. However, these figures were published to help to explain the impact of the introduction of the national funding formula; they are not comparable with the figures in the tables above as they do not take account of the actual pupil numbers used to calculate schools block allocations for 2018-19.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding was provided to each pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in cash terms each year since 2005-06.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 02 May 2018



Revenue funding allocated for primary and secondary education for each financial year from 2005 to 2018 for Coventry local authority (LA), the West Midlands region, and in England are shown in the attached table. Funding is not allocated separately for primary and secondary pupils. Data on capital funding allocated to local areas prior to 2011/12 is not readily available. Coventry local authority has directly received around £75 million of core capital allocations from the Department for Education from 2011-12 to 2017-18 financial years and the West Midlands over £1.3 billion. The Department’s total capital budget for education from 2011-12 to 2018-19 is over £39 billion, including budgeted spend for 2017-18 and 2018-19. This covers condition allocations for maintained and voluntary aided schools, Devolved Formula Capital and basic need funding. It does not include other condition funding allocated directly to academies, sixth form colleges and Multi Academy Trusts within their area. Larger MATs receive allocations and often allocate funding across constituency and LA boundaries. Funding for smaller or standalone trusts and sixth form colleges is also not included, as they are instead eligible for funding through the annual Condition Improvement Fund. Additional funding is also available through centrally delivered programmes, including the £4.4 billion Priority Schools Building Programme. Published data on capital allocations is available on the GOV.UK website.



Revenue_amounts_primary_and_secondary_education
(PDF Document, 181.21 KB)

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities have submitted a disapplication notice to move more than 0.5 per cent of their schools block funding in line with paragraph 117 of the Schools Revenue Funding 2018 to 2019 Operational Guide published by his Department.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 02 May 2018



The Department has received requests from 19 local authorities to transfer more than 0.5% of the schools block to another block, under the Dedicated Schools Grant.

Schools: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to allocate funding to support the Plymouth Challenge initiative from Plymouth City Council’s education board.

Nick Gibb: The Plymouth Challenge, a joint initiative between the Department and Plymouth City Council, aims to ensure transformation in Plymouth schools by maximising the impact of existing funding streams, rather than allocating new funding to this project. Professor Mel Ainscow has been chosen to chair the Challenge and work with Plymouth schools towards this aim.

Department for Education: Apprentices

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) male and (b) female apprentices are employed by his Department; and how many people have started an apprenticeship within his Department in each year since 2010.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) female and (b) male apprentices are employed by his Department for Education on a part-time basis.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) mean and (b) median pay is for (i) female and (ii) male apprentices employed by his Department.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) female and (b) male apprentices employed by his Department for Education have failed to complete their apprenticeships in each year since 2010.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) female and (b) male apprentices employed by his Department completed their apprenticeships between May 2015 and May 2017.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) female and (b) male apprentices continued working for his Department after completing their apprenticeships there to date.

Anne Milton: The data on apprenticeship starts is not available in the format requested. The following number of people have started an apprenticeship in the department each year since 2012:YearNumber of apprentice starts2012/2013322013/2014152014/2015342015/2016642016/2017502017/2018116 The following number of male and female apprentices are currently employed by the department. Mean and median salaries for currently employed male and female apprentices are also included in the attached table. The number of part and full time male and female apprentices currently employed by the department is within the attached table. We do not currently hold data on the outcome of apprenticeships for department employees. We are putting in place a mechanism to collect this data.



Number of apprentices and their gender
(Word Document, 35 KB)




Number of apprentices and their salaries
(Word Document, 37.5 KB)

Apprentices: Part-time Employment

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the recommendations in the report by the Young Women’s Trust, Trust for London, Learning and Work Institute and Timewise Foundation, entitled Exploring models for part-time and flexible apprenticeships, what plans he has to promote greater use of part-time apprenticeships by (a) public and (b) private sector employers.

Anne Milton: We have amended our apprenticeships funding rules to allow more flexibility in working arrangements to make it easier for part-time workers to undertake apprenticeships, such as those with caring responsibilities and lone parents. The new rules have a stronger emphasis on making sure the apprentice has enough hours in their working week to undertake sufficient, regular training and on-the-job activity, rather than being overly prescriptive on the number of hours an apprentice must work. If the circumstances for a particular learner mean they are unable to do an apprenticeship in full-time hours (30 hours or more per week), the employer and training provider can structure the apprenticeship with fewer weekly hours, and a longer duration to make sure all of the necessary training and assessment can be carried out. We have introduced an apprenticeships target for the public sector, to help public bodies improve the skills in both their full-time and part-time staff and develop the skilled workforce they need to deliver world class public services. We will continue to work closely with employers in the private sector to support them to take advantage of the levy, and wider funding and quality reforms, to invest in the long-term skills needs of their businesses.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the cost of servicing private finance initiative contracts on school budgets.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for setting their own formulae to determine how much funding each school in their area receives. As part of their local formulae, local authorities can include a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) factor to reflect the additional costs associated with PFI schools. In 2017-18, local authorities distributed a total of £154 million through a PFI factor.The amount local authorities receive for their schools is now determined by the national funding formula. The national funding formula also includes a PFI factor, which in 2018-19 is equivalent to how much local authorities spent through their local PFI factor in 2017-18, plus an uplift in line with inflation, which reflects the fact that many PFI contracts are indexed in this way. Local authorities can decide how to pass this uplift on to their schools.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the role of schools in the (a) negotiation and (b) renegotiation of private finance initiative contracts.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the level of profit made by private finance agencies on private finance initiative contracts with schools.

Nick Gibb: Where contract holders want to make changes to contracts, including changes to achieve savings, the Department expects that contract holders should work with the schools affected if there could be any impact on services. Where schools would like to instigate a change to the contract, they will need to work with the local authority that is a party to the contract. The Department has not carried out an assessment of the profits earned by the private sector on private finance contracts relating to schools. At the point of initially procuring for contracts, the Department maximises value for money for the public sector by seeking the best price available in the market at that time.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the real terms net change in funding per pupil will be for schools in Birkenhead under the new national funding formula.

Nick Gibb: The introduction of the national funding formula means that our funding will, for the first time, be distributed on the basis of the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country. The former system is completely out-of-date, based on data and decisions from over a decade ago. As the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed, overall schools funding is being protected at a national level in real terms per pupil over the next two years. At the same time, our historic improvement of the school funding system – backed by an additional £1.3 billion of extra funding – will replace the postcode lottery which saw huge differences in funding between similar schools in different parts of the country. The new formula will allocate a cash increase of at least 1% per pupil to every school by 2019-20, with much higher gains for underfunded schools. Schools across Birkenhead will see, on average, a cash funding increase of 1.6%, or £779,000 through our formula.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools will not receive a cash terms increase in their budget per pupil in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in 2018-19.

Nick Gibb: All schools in Coventry and the West Midlands, with the exception of new and growing schools, attracted more per pupil funding under the national funding formula.Some new and growing schools see their per pupil funding decrease under the national funding formula as they grow in size, while still receiving significant increases in their total budgets. We expect per pupil costs to fall in schools experiencing significant growth, as fixed costs form a reducing part of the school’s overall budget. Funding protections in the national funding formula for these schools are therefore calculated on a different basis, which is set out in the schools national funding formula technical note, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.Two new and growing all-through schools in Birmingham, and one new and growing primary school in Coventry attract less funding per pupil in 2018/19 than they did in 2017/18.Final decisions on individual schools’ budgets are taken by the local authority, based on their local funding formula.

Teachers Pensions: Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2018 to Question 139388, on Teachers Pensions: Capita, which organisation conducts the external benchmarking and what criteria it applies.

Nick Gibb: External Benchmarking of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is undertaken by CEM Benchmarking. CEM is a private sector organisation engaged by all the public sector pension schemes.Benchmarking reviews the cost and quality of service. Cost analysis includes the cost of scheme administration, governance, and major projects per member. The quality of service reviews communication channels, turnaround times, and communications content. The cost and quality analysis is then compared to that of a peer group of other schemes, including the NHS, Armed Forces, and Civil Service schemes.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Reform

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what annual savings he estimates the courts reform programme will have made by 2021 when that programme is complete.

Lucy Frazer: We are investing over £1bn to modernise the courts and tribunals service. This investment will make sure we are able to save over £230m per annum through efficiencies once the reforms are implemented in full, by introducing new technology and working practices. This includes £200m per annum for the Reform Programme, which is part of that portfolio of change. Steady state savings will not be realised until 2023/24.

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average minimum terms were for (a) men and (b) women completing a life sentence for murder in the last year for which figures are available.

Rory Stewart: We have taken the reference in the question to ‘average minimum terms’ to be a reference to the average tariff period that must be served by those serving a life sentence for murder before they can be considered for release by the Parole Board. The average tariff periods for individuals serving mandatory life-sentences for murder who were released in 2017 were:(a) Men = 12 years.(b) Women = 13 years. It should be noted that many of these individuals would have been sentenced prior to the implementation of relevant provisions in Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which introduced a robust framework for the determination of minimum terms by courts for mandatory life sentences. The figures above should therefore be contrasted with the average tariff periods for individuals serving mandatory life sentences for murder who were sentenced in 2017 (whole-life sentences not included) which were:(a) Men = 21 years.Women = 18 years.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were given extra days in prison for assaulting a prison officer in the last year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: We are taking urgent action to make prisons safer, and assaults on our hard-working staff will never be tolerated. Where an assault amounts to a criminal offence, prisoners should expect to be investigated by the police and face serious sanctions. We are committed to improving safety across the prison estate and are already taking action. We are ensuring that prison officers have the tools they need to do their jobs by rolling out body-worn cameras, 'police-style' handcuffs and restraints, and trialling PAVA incapacitant spray.Information on the number of individual prisoners who were subject to disciplinary punishments is not routinely extracted from the adjudications database as the primary purpose of the database is to report on the volume of punishments imposed. In order to collect this specific information on prisoners, a matching exercise using prison population and adjudication databases would be required to identify each individual prisoner who was sanctioned under the Prison Rules. As a result, the data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, information on the number of occasions on which additional days were awarded to prisoners for assault against staff in 2017 is shown in the table below:Number of instances of additional days awarded and number of additional days awarded (1,2), England and Wales, 2017Number of awards where additional days were givenNumber of additional days awarded for assaults committed on prison staff(2)67511,9271 - The number of awards refers to all proven adjudications and excludes all those that have been dismissed or not proceeded with. Also awards relate to actual assaults only and exclude attempts of assaults.2 - Figures correspond to the sum of the number of days given for each punishment received after an incident of misbehaviour. If an offender receives 2 punishments as a result of an assault against staff and each punishment attracts 20 days, then the offender will have received a total of 40 days of additional days.Data Sources and QualityThese figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Officers: Redundancy Pay

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value was of severance packages for prison officers that took voluntary early departure and were subsequently re-recruited since after 2010.

Rory Stewart: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: North Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts in north-west Wales are available for benefits appeal hearings in (a) English and (b) Welsh.

Lucy Frazer: All HMCTS venues in Wales are available for benefit appeal hearings, where both languages are treated equally and can be used. In North West Wales, Caernarfon Justice Centre frequently hosts these types of hearings.

First Offenders: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female offenders by offence type were sent to prison for their first offence in the latest year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: This information is available in the “Offending History Data Tool” at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-september-2017

Magistrates' Courts: Greater London

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has for the transfer of work from Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on its closure; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts and Tribunals Service announced on 8 February 2017 that, following a public consultation, Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court would close and its work would be relocated. Subject to judicial listing decisions, hearings for those appearing in court under the age of 18 will be relocated to Bromley Magistrates’ Court and hearings for those over the age of 18 will be relocated to Croydon Magistrates’ Court. Further analysis has indicated that some additional capacity is required for hearings for those over the age of 18 and, therefore, Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court has also been identified as location into which work can be listed when required. Housing possession cases which were previously heard at Lambeth County Court are now being heard at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court.

Employment Tribunals Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of claims of equal pay to employment tribunals in the last two years were successful for (a) men and (b) women.

Lucy Frazer: The number of equal pay claims that were deemed to be successful in the employment tribunal broken down by gender in the last two years can be found in the table below. Number of successful equal pay (EQP) jurisdiction complaints (1) by gender (2)  January 2016 - December 2016January 2017 - December 2017 (p) Number of successful EQP complaints (3)Percentage of successful EQP complaintsNumber of successful EQP complaintsPercentage of successful EQP complaintsGender (2)Men76932%988%Women6,98548%8408%   1 This is the number of jurisdictional complaints disposed in the period.2 Gender is not a mandatory field in the case management system and therefore the above figures are the number of complaints that were recorded as received by male or female claimant.3 Includes the number of "ACAS conciliated settlements", "withdrawn or private settlements", "Successful at hearing " and "Default Judgment - Claimant Successful". We do not know whether claims which have had an ACAS conciliated settlement or are Withdrawn or privately settled are successful or not.p Provisional data - subject to further change. All data were taken from the Employment Tribunals Central database and as such are management information that are provisional and subject to change. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and are the best data available at the time of publication.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in order to attend which religious festivals prisoners were released on temporary licence in the latest year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: Records for 2017 show that prisoners were released to attend religious services at Eid and Easter as well as to attend Sikh Temple, Quaker meetings and Jehovah’s Witness services. There were also releases for unspecified religious services. Facilities for worship are available in each establishment but, as part of restoring links between the offender and wider community, suitable, risk-assessed offenders may attend worship outside the prison to help them adjust to the climate of non-prison worship and mixing with the community. In addition, temporary release for the purpose of maintaining family ties might be timed so as to coincide with religious occasions and offenders may be released for compelling compassionate reasons to attend services such as funerals of close family members, again subject to thorough risk assessment.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what evidence his Department has on the effect of participation in out-of-court restorative justice on re-offending rates.

Rory Stewart: You may find it helpful to see that the Home Office and Ministry of Justice jointly commissioned an evaluation of a number of restorative justice pilots, which can be found here: https://restorativejustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/files/Does%20restorative%20justice%20affect%20reconviction.pdf The evaluation found that the pilots were effective in reducing the frequency of reoffending by 14% (Shapland et al 2008). However, the findings do not distinguish between restorative justice out-of-court and post-conviction restorative justice.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of recalls to prison have been fixed-term recalls in the last year for which information is available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were given a fixed term recall for (a) breaching the terms of their licence, (b) committing a further offence, (c) a combination of breaching their licence and re-offending and (d) any other reason in the latest year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: The number of recalls to prison that were fixed-term, in England and Wales for the period 1 January 2017 to 31 December was 9,609, this equates to 44% of the total number of recalls for the period which was 21,915. The only basis for recall is the breach of one or more licence conditions. In some cases, this may involve further offending. The information in the table below is taken from table 5.10 of the licence recalls workbook (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2017). Whereas the published table provides reason for recall for all recalled offenders, the table below only includes prisoners who have been recalled on a fixed term recall. Anyone who commits a crime while on licence may, in addition to recall, face prosecution and potentially a further prison sentence. For more serious offences, they can be held in prison on remand until trial. Committing an offence while on licence is an aggravating factor the court should take into account when sentencing for the new offence and may lead to a longer further sentence. Fixed-term recalls (FTRs) are only issued to offenders who do not pose a risk of serious harm to the public. Reason for recall for offenders given an FTR in 2017 Reason for recallNumber of FTRsa. Further Charge[*]3394b. Poor Behaviour - non-compliance[*]5487c. Failed to keep in touch[*]5944d. Failed to reside[*]1792e. Poor Behaviour - Drugs/alcohol[*]387f. Other[*]918g. Unknown[*]3 The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Recall reasons do not sum to the total number of recalls as more than one reason can be recorded against each recall.

Reoffenders: Females

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences of each type were committed by (a) sentenced female prisoners and (b) female prisoners held on remand who had their children with them in prison in the latest year for which information is available; and which of those offences were of each type in the violence against the person category.

Dr Phillip Lee: Offence information for the custodial sentenced prison population by sex is already published and can be found in Table 1.2b at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/702300/population-31-march-2018.ods Data is now collected on applications to Mother and Baby Units at an individual prisoner level. This enables us to match these applications to protected characteristics and offence details. The information requested can be found in the attachment. Female prisoners who are pregnant or who have children under the age of 18 months can apply for a place on a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). The service aims to give the mother and child the best prospect of a successful resettlement in the community. The best interests and safety of children on the unit are a primary consideration in all matters. MBUs provide comfortable, safe and stimulating environments suitable to the ages and stages of development of children.

Offences against Children

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to fund therapy services for child victims of sexual abuse who are aged under 13.

Dr Phillip Lee: On 25 April, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its Interim Report. The Report contains a series of recommendations for specific changes, several of which are directed at Government. The Government welcomes the Report and is now considering the Inquiry’s recommendations very carefully. The Government will respond fully in due course. The Government’s Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Progress Report, published in February 2017, announced a £40m package of measures to protect children and young people from sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking. The package included £7.5m for a new Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, and a £7m uplift in funding for non-statutory organisations supporting the victims and survivors of sexual abuse. The Ministry of Justice have provided around £68m to Police and Crime Commissioners in 2017/18 to locally commission emotional and practical support services for victims of crime, including for child victims of sexual abuse.

Abortion: Clinics

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for public order offences involving pro-life vigil participants outside abortion clinics in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

Family Courts

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he last met the President of the Family Division; and whether they discussed the level of take-up of mediation by people attending the family court.

Lucy Frazer: I am clear that the Government remains committed to supporting mediation for separating couples. It is an effective way of resolving disputes about finances and children, when it is safe and appropriate to do so. Mediation can be less stressful than going to court. It can help reduce conflict, by avoiding potentially contentious court proceedings which can be harmful to children. We are working to improve information and signposting to raise awareness of mediation and to encourage more separating couples to try it. I hold regular meetings with senior judges-, that are held in confidence and it would therefore not be appropriate to disclose their content.

Gurpal Virdi

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which public bodies have obtained a transcript of the trial of Gurpal Virdi at Southwark Crown Court.

Lucy Frazer: Transcripts of Crown Court proceedings, where requested, are produced by third party transcription companies. Checks of the relevant transcription companies indicate that no transcript of the entire trial has been provided to a public body, although a transcript of one day of the hearing (31 July 2015) was requested by the Metropolitan Police on 28 October 2015.

Department for International Trade

Exports: Scotland

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the role of Highland Games and Highland Gatherings in promoting Scottish exports.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) recognises the importance of Highland activities in Scottish export promotion. DIT officials will attend the Highland Games events this year to assess what more we can do to support associated businesses. The Exporting is GREAT campaign works with businesses from across the Highlands providing export support through online services at great.gov.uk, the E-Exporting programme, and through UK Export Finance. We will continue to identify activities across Scotland to promote the strength of local exports. Last year, Scottish goods exports totalled £28.8bn, an increase of 19.2%.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants serve in the minerals planning team of his Department; how many civil servants served in that team in 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase the size of the team in the minerals planning section of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: In 2010 four civil servants worked on minerals planning policy as part of their official duties. There are now fewer staff working on minerals planning policy. A consultation on the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework includes consideration of Government’s future minerals policy. Future staffing levels will take account of the responses to the consultation.

Hyde Group: Vending Machines

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the efficacy of the investment decisions made by Hyde Housing Association in relation to its establishment of a vending machine company.

Dominic Raab: Hyde Housing Association, like all housing associations, is an independent organisation. It is for its Board to make business decisions on how it meets its aims and objectives. Housing associations must ensure they comply with the law and, in relation to their social housing activities, any regulatory standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.Under the Value for Money standard they must consider value for money across their whole business and where they invest in non-social housing activity, they should consider whether this generates returns commensurate to the risk involved and justify where this is not the case.

Housing Associations: Finance

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on a Housing Association's obligation to reinvest their funds into the properties that they maintain; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: Housing Associations are independent organisations and it is for their Boards to make business decisions. However, they are not-for-profit organisations, and so we expect them to reinvest funds in their business. They are expected to comply with regulatory standards drawn up by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes an expectation to maintain their properties by ensuring a prudent, planned approach to repairs and maintenance is taken. Their approach needs to reflect an appropriate balance of planned and responsive repairs.

Planning: Public Inquiries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of decisions of public planning inquiries did not follow the advice of the planning inspector in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: The table below shows the number of decisions on recovered planning appeals and called-in applications made by Ministers since 2010, together with the proportion of decisions which did not follow the Planning Inspector’s recommendation: Calendar Year Number of Cases decidedNumber of Cases not in line with Inspector's recommendationPercentage of decisions not in line with Inspector's recommendation2010581119%201163610%20124848%2013701420%20141364735%2015681319%20161102018%2017541019%

Local Government Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2018-19 on the ability of local authorities to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

Rishi Sunak: Through the settlement, local government has been given access to £45.1 billion in 2018-19 and £45.6 billion in 2019-20. This is an overall increase since 17-18 of £1.3 billion, in recognition of increasing pressures, including demand for adult’s and children’s services.A further £150 million was made available for Adult Social Care in 2018-19, alongside the freedom to raise more money more quickly through the use of the adult social care precept.2018/19 is the third year of a four year deal providing funding certainty accepted by 97 per cent, giving them the certainty to plan financially to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases: Fire Extinguishers

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is responsible for the provision and maintenance of fire hydrants on MoD bases.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Details of the provision and maintenance of fire hydrants on Ministry of Defence bases are shown below:  MOD BasesResponsible Owner for the Provision and Maintenance of Fire HydrantsScotland and Northern IrelandCarillionAmeyEngland and WalesProvision - Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Maintenance – Contractors employed within DIO under the Aquatrine Private Finance Initiative (PFI)UK RFCA (Reserve Forces Cadet Association) EstateKelda WaterNI RFCA EstateEmerald Fire Protection

EU Defence Policy

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) civilian and (b) military overseas operations the UK has participated in under the EU's Common Security and Defence policy.

Mark Lancaster: Records show that the UK has contributed to 13 Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian missions and 11 CSDP military missions and operations.

Ministry of Defence: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Civil Service Learning provides a range of central learning opportunities, including online and face-to-face training, for all civil servants on Devolution and Intergovernmental Working. Devolution is integral to a number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) training and awareness opportunities available to both MOD civil servants and military personnel to ensure Defence is delivered and understood in a devolved context. In addition, we work with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to host secondments and interchanges to increase knowledge and understanding of Devolution issues. Details of these opportunities and training courses are not held centrally by the MOD.

Ministry of Defence: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy is that, generally, official cars are pooled rather than allocated. No MOD civil servants currently have a dedicated driver.A small number of officials are, however, provided with a car to enable them to carry out essential duties. This includes some chaplains, welfare officers, recruiters, safety inspectors, housing officers and security staff.

Navy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which foreign governments have been alerted to the potential availability of Royal Navy (a) frigates and (b) amphibious ships that are currently in commission.

Guto Bebb: No foreign governments have been alerted to any potential availability of current in-service Royal Navy frigates and amphibious ships. Formal marketing will commence after any decommissioning dates have been confirmed.

Armed Forces: Age

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average age was of regular (a) officers and (b) other ranks joining the (i) Infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Corps of Signals, (iv) Army Medical Services, (v) Adjutant General's Corps, (vi) Royal Armoured Corps, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Engineers, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (xi) Intelligence Corps in each of the last ten years.

Mark Lancaster: The average (mean) age of other ranks and officers on joining the Army is set out within the attached tables. For Other Ranks this is broken down by the Arms/Corps requested. For Officers this is broken down by General Staff, who are not assigned a capbadge until completion of their commissioning course, and professionally qualified officers.



Average (Mean) Age on Entry for Officers/Soldiers
(Word Document, 25.67 KB)

Defence: Industry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the defence and aerospace industry of the UK leaving the EU.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence is working closely with defence industry and other Government Departments to understand the implications and opportunities presented by the UK's departure from the European Union.Through our future partnership with the European Union, we want to explore how best to ensure that our industries can continue working together to deliver the capabilities that we need to protect the UK and its allies and partners.It is worth noting that current major European collaborative capability projects, such as the Typhoon programme, are managed bilaterally or with groups of partners, rather than through the EU.

Department for Work and Pensions

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees in the UK oil and gas industry served as elected safety representatives on UK continental shelf installations in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information cannot be provided in the format requested but according to the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation’s (OPITO) records, some 3857 ESRs did their mandatory initial training from 2010-17. As part of implementing a programme of Workforce Engagement inspections during 2015-16, HSE established that there were 1500 – 1700 ESRs in place at that time.

Offshore Industry: Air Pollution

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf were recorded by the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 2000 to 2017.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of (a) detection and (b) reporting of hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive has recorded the following hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) by year: 2000 2642001 2512002 2422003 2422004 2732005 2242006 1902007 1852008 1472009 1792010 1862011 1422012 1052013 1182014 942015 932016 101(p)2017 103(p) Final figures for 2016 will be confirmed and published with the provisional figures for 2017 as part of the Health and Safety Executive’s annual Offshore Statistics & Regulatory Activity Report, due to be published in July. Releases are categorised as “major”, “significant” and “minor”, depending on the potential consequences of the event, which is usually directly linked to the total quantity or rate of release.Overall reported hydrocarbon releases have approximately halved since 2010. The reporting process presents an opportunity for both the regulator and the industry to investigate and identify underlying causes and learn lessons. Although the offshore industry has seen the overall downward trend as an indicator of improved performance, HSE remains concerned that every release represents a deficiency in an operator’s process safety management, and an increased risk of harm to workers. There have also been a small number of large releases every year which could have resulted in a major accident. Consequently, the Director of HSE’s Energy Division wrote recently to challenge the offshore industry to identify and address any weaknesses in its leadership and safety culture, as well as its arrangements for safety system audits, which have allowed such releases to occur (see attachment entitled Letter from the Director, HSE Energy Division to the Oil and Gas Industry on Hydrocarbon Releases).

Offshore Industry: Air Pollution

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what standard training the Government has made available to elected safety representatives in the (a) detection and (b) reporting of hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of (a) elected safety representatives and (b) workforce engagement policies on the standard of safety in the offshore oil and gas industry since the 1990s.

Sarah Newton: The Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is the organisation that provides the standard for initial Elected Safety Representative (ESR) training. It is the Duty Holders who are responsible for ensuring ESRs are suitably trained and that the cost is not borne by them. The OPITO Offshore Safety Representative Training Standard was reviewed by OPITO, HSE, International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), and the Step Change in Safety Workforce Engagement Support Team (WEST) during 2016/2017. A revised standard has been in use since 5 June 2017 and includes 34learning outcomes. There are also OPITO development training modules for ESRs which were developed in conjunction with the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee’s “Workforce Involvement Group” during 2012. The modules are: Understanding and Identifying Major Accident Hazards.Understanding Risk Analysis to get Involved in Preparing and Revising the Safety Case.Investigate Incidents and Apply Root Case Analysis.Conduct Independent Inspections and Audits and Effectively Present Findings. HSE has conducted 26 offshore inspections on Workforce Engagement in the last two and a half years, which includes compliance with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1989 (“SI971”); the need for ESRs to be provided with the time, training and facilities to fulfil their functions under these Regulations; and involvement with the work force they represent. and how matters are addressed by the Safety Committee. This also covered the mandatory consultation in the 2015 Safety Case regulations. HSE’s workforce engagement policies identified the need for ESRs to be provided with more suitable training so that they could more effectively engage with managing major accident hazards. This resulted in the development of the four OPITO training modules mentioned above. Since the increased uptake of the additional training, and the development of comparable training by individual duty holders, HSE inspectors are finding that ESRs now have a better understanding of major accident hazard management. This means that ESRs are better placed to discharge their safety functions. HSE inspectors always meet with ESRs as the first part of their offshore inspection. The inspectors discuss and sense check their inspection agendas with ESRs. Very often ESRs will identify issues that the HSE inspectors had not planned to inspect. These inputs are invariably very useful to HSE and often make a major difference to the impact of the inspections. HSE also finds that duty holder leaders greatly value the safety insights provided to them by their ESRs.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve safety on offshore oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.

Sarah Newton: HSE has intervention strategies for every duty holder operating on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Strategies are addressed through a risk-based planned inspection programme, set every year for each duty holder, to test their relative strengths and focus on their weaknesses. This is further supported by investigations of incidents, which in addition to enabling HSE to hold duty holders to account for any non-compliances, usually provide opportunities for improvement in relation to the underlying causes of incidents and non-compliance. The Safety Case regime is also a key mechanism for improvement. Duty holders cannot operate without HSE’s formal acceptance of their Safety Case that sets out how they will manage the major accident risks. Any material changes to the Safety Case also require HSE acceptance. HSE accepts Safety Cases where the duty holder has demonstrated the risks created are controlled to a level that is as low as is reasonably practicable (ALARP). Duty holders must review their safety cases every five years to be able to continue to demonstrate ALARP in the context of the ageing of their installations, and changes in technology and management systems that are relevant for safety. HSE also has two focussed inspection programmes that provide further improvement opportunities for industry: In-Depth Inspections focussing on Maintaining Safe Operations. These inspections were introduced in 2016 to address the potential adverse safety implications of the oil price downturn and focus on the effectiveness of duty holder leadership in managing the safety risks. Operational Integrity inspections. These focus on those elements of Process Safety Management that are most relevant to the prevention of hydrocarbon releases including the need for industry to focus on effective safety management systems as well as hardware issues such as plant integrity. Both inspection programmes have identified lessons for individual Duty holders and the industry. These are being addressed directly with each duty holder inspected, and key issues fed back to industry.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Ministers in the Department for Exiting the European Union on the EU directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations; and what the outcome was of those discussions.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK’s departure from the European Union on the effectiveness of the statutory framework governing the safety of offshore oil and gas workers on the UK continental shelf.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has led to the United Kingdom having one of the best records on health and safety at work in the world. We see no reason why this should change as the country leaves the EU. The Government intends to maintain the current protections for workers by using powers proposed in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This will give workers and businesses as much certainty as possible and ensure existing health and safety law, including the offshore oil and gas regulatory framework, continues to work in the same way after the UK has left the EU. Officials are working closely with counterparts from the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure the UK’s health and safety system, including its application to the offshore oil and gas industry, is fully integrated into EU exit considerations.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the level of enforcement of the Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 on oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of enforcement of the Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 by the Health and Safety Executive; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Workforce Engagement inspections are largely focused on compliance with the Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 (“SI 971”). From the 26 inspections undertaken specifically on workforce engagement, some 50+ non-compliance issues have been raised, formally in writing, with duty holders. HSE’s offshore inspection web page provides information on how HSE conducts inspections, what is expected of duty holders and guidance for the industry. It can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/inspection.htm. The level of enforcement is determined by the application of HSE’s Enforcement Management Model. Compliance with SI 971 was subject to an inspection project during 2010 by HSE. The final report delivered in March 2011 and is available from HSE’s website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/oiac/wig/010911/index.htm. SI 971 compliance is now a key part of every Workforce Engagement inspection. HSE’s development and use of the role of a Workforce Engagement specialist has also increased impact in this key area.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the HSE's workforce engagement commitments in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with the Health and Safety Executive on the training of elected safety representatives in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Sarah Newton: The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials on these issues. I meet regularly with the Chair and Chief Executive of HSE and I have received briefing on safety issues in the offshore oil and gas industry but not specifically on these issues. Workforce Engagement is a key part of every HSE offshore inspection. HSE continues to meet with Elected Safety Representatives (ESRs) at the beginning and at the end of every inspection. The ESRs are also copied into the regulatory letters arising from the inspections so that they can share them with their constituents. The answer to Question 140077 also covers training provisions for ESRs.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE)Helping Great Britain Work Well: Commitments document, published in November 2016, what the progress the HSE has made on each commitment to the safety of workers in the offshore (a) oil and gas and (b) renewables industries since the publication of that document.

Sarah Newton: The workforce engagement commitment made for Helping Great Britain Work Well (HGBWW) was made by Step Change in Safety through their Workforce Engagement Support Team (WEST). The commitment is to deliver improved training and understanding of the Elected Safety Representative role and functions. This is to be delivered through a new 4 staged approach to training: Introduction to the Safety Rep role: “what good looks like for ESRs”, information to workers, supervisors, OIMs & Duty Holders/EmployersOPITO Training ReviewDelivering Functions & LogbookFurther development and sharing experiences with new ESRs. The OPITO Training Review (ii) has been completed. The three other stages require some further input from Step Change in Safety. The renewable energy industry made a number of commitments to HSE as part of HGBWW. This included one from the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Association (G+) (whose membership includes the majority of offshore wind farm operators and developers) to ensure the delivery of commitments the industry made at a HSE hosted event in November 2015. This included to provide the leadership to ensure that all the industry supply chain was fully engaged in developing and implementing industry good practice. It also included the provision of significant resource, including the appointment of dedicated full time staff to ensure a risk reduction programme was delivered: https://www.gplusoffshorewind.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/234778/G9_response-to-HSE-Bootle-workshop_Apr2016_FINAL-signed.pdf On the 26 April 2018, HSE and G+ co-hosted an event with 56 industry leaders which concluded that good progress had been made with further work required to further improve engagement with the supply chain and amend the risk reduction programme to ensure new challenges are dealt with. Other commitments met include Renewable UK’s development and delivery of guidance for emergency planning for the renewable energy sector which can be found at http://www.renewableuk.com/page/OREEF.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are any targets relating to the number of sanctions made against claimants of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



There are no Departmental targets relating to the number of sanctions made against claimants of Universal Credit.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Packaging

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to ban or limit the use of non-biodegradable plastic in the packaging of bread and other bakery products; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has made no plans to ban or limit the use of non-biodegradable plastic in the packaging of bread and other bakery products, though we have asked WRAP to consider this as part of the work for the UK plastic Pact. Packaging extends the shelf-life of bread, enables easy freezing and therefore supports action to reduce levels of bread waste in the home. Currently the shelf-life of loose store baked bread is 1-2 days whilst pre-packed bread has a shelf-life of 6-7 days. The Government remains committed to preventing waste where possible and we will be consulting widely on our plans for resources, waste and recycling in developing our Resources and Waste Strategy.

Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much revenue has been raised by the plastic carrier bag levy since the introduction of that levy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In total the charge has raised approximately £95 million from retailers since it was introduced in October 2015. The vast majority of the proceeds have been donated to a range of good causes covering the arts, education, environment, health, heritage and sports as well as local causes chosen by customers or staff.

Plastics: Biodegradability

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of making it obligatory for manufacturers to include oxo biodegradation additives in everyday plastic items.

George Eustice: We have assessed the environmental impacts of oxo-biodegradable plastics across their life cycle and, as a consequence, have no current plans to make the use of oxo-biodegradation additives mandatory in the manufacture of everyday plastic items.The current evidence on the overall environment benefits of oxo-biodegradable plastic is not conclusive. The main concern which has been raised is that oxo-biodegradable plastics could take time to degrade without oxygen and sunlight once they have leaked into the broader environment. It is suggested that this lack of complete degradation could result in the generation of micro plastics, which can be more harmful to the environment and aquatic life. We will continue to look closely at, and be driven by, the evidence on this issue.

Clean Air Zones: West Midlands

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands about the financial effect of proposed clean air zones and associated air quality measures on their businesses.

George Eustice: Defra has not had direct discussions with small and medium-sized businesses in Birmingham or the West Midlands about the financial effect of clean air zones. The Government assessed the impacts of charging Clean Air Zones on businesses nationally in the 2016 impact assessment. This did not look at the impacts on Birmingham or the West Midlands in isolation.

Water Companies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 137038 on Water Companies, if he will provide that data for the period June to October 2017.

George Eustice: All of the external meetings of ministers are published in the quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. This includes all meetings with water companies. The last three quarterly returns, which cover the period April to December 2017 will provide details of the meetings held during the period requested June to October 2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-hospitality-gifts-meetings-overseas-travel As mentioned in my Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 137038, officials in my department meet regularly with private water companies to discuss a range of topics, including the regulation of the water industry, water and wastewater policy issues, consumer policy issues, and management of emergency incidents.

Opencast Mining: County Durham

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received on plans for an opencast mine at a site in Bradley, County Durham; and what discussions he has had with (a) Natural England and (b) Durham County Council on mitigation plans for managing the impact of that mining on the great crested newts in the south of the development area.

George Eustice: The Department has not received any direct representations on plans for an open cast mine at the Bradley site in County Durham. Natural England is the competent authority for issues related to licensing of activities that would impact on protected species and has a statutory function in determining any such licence application. The Department has not had any discussions with Natural England regarding this site other than agreeing the statement that was published on the Defra Media Blog.https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2018/04/23/monday-23-april-minister-eustice-at-future-farming-event-england-coast-path-in-norfolk-and-cracking-down-on-fly-tipping/ Natural England has not had any discussions with Durham County Council on mitigation plans for managing the impact of the current development on the great crested newts at this site. Natural England is, however, liaising with Banks Group, the developer, regarding the great crested newt surveys at this site.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 137984, on seas and oceans: environment protection, whether the UK Government voted in support of measure 053 on increasing marine protected area coverage for effective marine biodiversity conservation at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016.

George Eustice: The UK Government abstained from the vote on motion 053 on increasing marine protected area coverage for effective marine biodiversity conservation at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress.

Scallops: Dredging

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of destruction and damage caused by scallop dredging; and if he will review that practice in order to limit its potentially detrimental effects..

George Eustice: A number of studies have been carried out over the years by a variety of research bodies and individuals, which have looked specifically at the impacts of dredging on the marine environment. For example, in 2015 the Government funded a three-phase project which is considering the impacts of towed fishing gears on mobile sediments against the background of natural variability. The report of the first phase of this project is available here (Natural variability phase 1 report). There are a number of management measures in place, both nationally and locally, which are aimed at reducing the impact of dredging on the marine environment. Measures are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain effective and enforceable. This will continue as we work to ensure our future fisheries management is robust and effective in protecting the sustainability of our fisheries and the marine environment.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

George Eustice: Defra has not signed any non-disclosure agreements with employees within the last five years.

Trees: Conservation

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to appoint the national tree champion; and to whom that person will report.

George Eustice: A decision on the appointment of the national Tree Champion, including to whom that person will report, will be made in due course.

Peat Bogs

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for funds he has had for the capital grant scheme for peat restoration.

George Eustice: The capital grant scheme for peat restoration received 5 applications for funds.

Animal Welfare

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he had with animal welfare organisations between the publication of the draft Animal Welfare Bill and the publication of his Department’s response to the Second Report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill 2017, HC709.

George Eustice: The Government holds regular discussions with representatives of animal welfare organisations in relation to a range of animal welfare issues.

Home Office

UK Visas and Immigration: Management

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution of 16 April 2018, Official Report, Column 27, on Windrush Children (Immigration Status), what plans she has to review the management of the immigration directorate in her Department.

Caroline Nokes: What happened with the Windrush cohort should not have happened. We value the contribution made by Commonwealth citizens who have made a life in the UK and would not want anyone to feel unwelcome or to be in any doubt of their right to remain here.We have established a dedicated taskforce to help the Windrush Generation and other long-term residents ensure they have evidence to demonstrate their right to be in the UK and to access the necessary services and benefits.We will also put in place 50 senior caseworkers across the country to ensure where more junior members of staff are unsure about a decision they can speak to someone with experience to ensure discretion is properly exercised.The Home Secretary announced that there was already a lessons-learned review under way in the Department. This will have independent oversight and will seek to draw out how members of the Windrush generation came to be entangled in measures designed for illegal immigrants, why that was not spotted sooner and whether the right corrective measures are now in place.

Immigration: Biometrics

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Biometric Residence Permits have failed to meet her Department’s target for delivery in each of the last (a) five years and (b) 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: Information relating to the current number of applications outstanding is management information and subject to change.However, published information on the number of applications for leave to remain in all categories, as well as data on UK Visa and Immigration performance against service standards for applications made in the UK and from overseas, and the proportion of those cases classified as non-straightforward, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration.Where an application is defined as non-straightforward due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard, and to explain what will happen next.

Home Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is committed to raising the capability of its staff around devolution and intergovernmental working. Training packages broadly fall into three categories: those tailored to specific business areas; those focused on specific groups of officials, such as fast streamers and those working on legislation; and as part of broader campaigns such as Devolution Learning Week. Devolution training can also be incorporated into broader training products.The Home Office is also an active participant in the Devolution and You campaign. Devolution and You was established in 2015 following a Civil Service Board commission. The Board recognised the need for greater understanding of devolution among civil servants and for better intergovernmental working across the different administrations in the UK. The program is led by Cabinet Office in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. It aims to build devolution awareness and civil servant networks across the One Civil Service through shared learning and knowledge exchange throughout the year.Providing exact numbers of those trained would be at disproportionate cost

Offences against Children

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has commissioned research on the motivations of the perpetrators of gang-grooming crimes against young girls; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Improving our understanding of the scale and nature of all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse, including that involving gangs and groups, is a priority for this Government.We have invested £7.5m in a new centre of expertise on child sexual abuse which will identify, generate, and share high quality evidence of what works to prevent and tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSA/E).At present, ‘types’ or ‘models’ of CSA/E offending are understood differently by the agencies, professionals and academics responding. This hampers efforts to understand, prevent and disrupt offending. The Centre of Expertise is addressing this by developing a typology of offending. This will involve identifying the characteristics and patterns of offender behaviour within different models, which will in turn support a more targeted response by the police and other agencies.While this is underway, we will continue work to enhance our understanding of organised models of exploitation. This includes working with police and law enforcement agencies to identify characteristics associated with group-based CSA/E cases, so that best practice in preventing and tackling these forms of abuse can be identified and shared.

Public Spaces Protection Orders: Ealing

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has made an assessment of the human rights implications of Ealing Council using a Public Spaces Protection Order to criminalise peaceful protest; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is satisfied that Public Spaces Protection Orders are an important tool in helping local authorities to tackle persistent and unreasonable anti-social behaviour that has a detrimental effect on others’ quality of life. In the refreshed statutory guidance on the use of the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which was published on 24 December 2017, we stressed the importance of ensuring that all the relevant legal tests are met before making such an order. We also said that powers should be used appropriately to provide a proportionate response to the behaviour in question.The Home Office is aware of Ealing Council’s decision to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order outside the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Ealing. This will be considered as part of the current Abortion Clinic Protest Review.

Slavery

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the subsistence rates are for victims of modern slavery supported by the National Referral Mechanism living in (a) accommodation in a safe house with food provided and (b) a safe house where they purchase their own food; and how many of such people (i) have applied for asylum and (ii) are receiving outreach support.

Victoria Atkins: The subsistence rates paid to adult potential victims of modern slavery who live in safe houses where food is provided is £35 per week, and is £65 per week for those who live in self-catered accommodation. Adults who have dependents in safe houses receive £20.50 per week for the first child, and £13.55 for each additional child.If an adult is an asylum seeker, under the Asylum Support Regulations, if they are accessing section 95 support, their income is restricted to £37.75 per week regardless of where they live. Most asylum seeking potential victims of modern slavery do not live in safe houses, but live in asylum support accommodation, and therefore receive outreach support.Alongside financial support, potential victims of modern slavery in the National Referral Mechanism receive dedicated and expert support, which is tailored to their unique needs as victims of modern slavery. This includes access to legal aid, counselling, NHS medical and dental services.

Home Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Victoria Atkins: No Civil Servants have been provided with an official car or driver.

North Yorkshire Police: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any recommendations for improvement were made relating to the North Yorkshire police force after its most recent inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the North Yorkshire police force was recently inspected by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Mr Nick Hurd: The most recent inspection report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in relation to North Yorkshire police force was the Effectiveness report, published on 22 March 2018. The full report can be accessed via HMICFRSs website: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/peel-police-effectiveness-2017-north-yorkshire.pdfHMICFRS reports are vital tools which help PCCs to hold forces to account. The Government expects all forces to take inspection findings seriously and to deliver performance improvements

Immigrants: Caribbean

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush generation cases involve people who live in the Glasgow North East constituency.

Caroline Nokes: The data requested is not available. Information relating to individual Windrush migrants is not recorded by constituency.

Immigrants: Caribbean

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush generation cases involve people who live in the Midlothian constituency.

Caroline Nokes: The data requested is not available. Information relating to individual Windrush migrants is not recorded by constituency.

Police: CCTV

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been wrongly identified by automated facial recognition CCTV cameras at deployments by (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) South Wales Police.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy rate of real-time automated facial recognition technology on public CCTV cameras used by (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) South Wales Police.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department consulted mental health professionals on targeting fixated individuals not wanted for arrest on Remembrance Sunday 2017 by the Metropolitan Police.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) start and (b) end date is for the Metropolitan Police’s trial of real-time automated facial recognition on CCTV cameras.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) start and (b) end date is of South Wales Police’s trial of real-time automated facial recognition on CCTV cameras.

Mr Nick Hurd: A decision to deploy a facial recognition system is an operational one for the police.

Police Stations: Closures

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Police stations have closed in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this information. It for democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners, working with Chief Constables, to determine the best use of resources to effectively serve and engage their communities and to build their trust and confidence.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Scots Gaelic Language

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to enable Gaelic speakers to complete official documents in that language.

David Mundell: The work of the Office rarely requires members of the public to complete official documents. The Office would support anyone who requires it on a case-by-case basis.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Free Movement of People

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with EU negotiators on the right of UK citizens living in other EU countries to move freely throughout the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State meets regularly with Ministerial counterparts from other EU Member States and with individuals in the EU institutions to discuss a wide range of policy issues linked to our exit from the EU. During the first phase of negotiations the UK pushed hard to secure the right of onward movement for UK nationals with permanent status in another EU Member State. However, the European Commission felt that this was an issue that could not be resolved through the first phase of negotiations. This remains an important matter for the Government. We have however agreed the continued recognition of qualifications, where recognition decisions were received or where recognition procedures were ongoing, before the end of the implementation period. This will cover the European Professional Card, qualifications recognised under the MRPQ directive for the purpose of establishment, lawyers practising under host State title, approved statutory auditors, and persons engaged in the trade and distribution of toxic products. The reciprocal agreement we have reached on citizens’ rights will mean that UK and EU citizens will be able to continue to move through EU countries as they do now, until the end of the implementation period. We will be setting out initial proposals for our future immigration arrangements, to apply after the implementation period, in due course.

Offshore Industry: Scotland

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has met representatives of the Scottish oil and gas sector to discuss their priorities for negotiations for the UK's future relationship with the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: On Thursday 26 April I facilitated an oil and gas roundtable discussion at Oil and Gas UK’s Aberdeen offices as part of a broader set of meetings I attended along side the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. It was useful to be able to update the sector on developments since my previous visit in July 2017, when I met a similar group of sector representatives. These meetings have enabled me to keep them up to date with progress with negotiations and to hear first-hand industry’s concerns and priorities in relation to EU Exit.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Mr Steve Baker: There are no officials in the Department to which an official car or a driver is provided.

Treasury

Equity Release: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will support over-55s planning to take out equity release on their properties.

John Glen: Older borrowers already have access to equity release mortgages from a range of lenders. The UK’s equity release market is competitive, and continues to grow year on year. The Government does not currently intend to offer additional support to equity release customers.

Capital Investment

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing a green supporting factor to address prudential rules on capital weighting.

John Glen: The Government is considering the potential merits of introducing a green supporting factor into the UK bank capital framework. Prudential rules on capital weighting ensures the banking sector’s resilience against financial stability risks and are derived from agreed international standards for internationally active banks. Any changes to the framework must not undermine financial stability by creating unnecessary risks.

Treasury: Lycamobile

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings Ministers of his Department have had with Lycamobile since 2015; and what the subject was of each of those meetings.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings senior officials of his Department have had with Lycamobile since 2015; and what the subject was of each of those meetings.

Robert Jenrick: As a non-Ministerial department HMRC have operational independence from Treasury Ministers. Neither HM Treasury nor any Minister had any involvement in HMRC’s decision not to execute a French request for a search warrant on Lycamobile’s offices in the UK.HMRC have made clear that they did not hinder the French investigation into Lycamobile’s offices in the UK. HMRC worked with the French authorities over a period of several weeks to help them understand the extent of the information that would be needed as part of a successful application for a UK search warrant. HMRC have stated that the decision not to execute the French request was taken on the grounds that the French authorities provided insufficient information to meet the statutory criteria for a UK search warrant, set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel andhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-officials-expenses

Treasury: Lycamobile

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings (a) agencies and (b) arms length bodies of his Department have had with Lycamobile since 2015; and what the subject was of each of those meetings was.

Robert Jenrick: Details of meetings agencies and arm’s length bodies have had with Lycamobile and the subject of those meetings is not held centrally.HM Revenue and Customs does not discuss identifiable taxpayers.

Private Finance Initiative

Clive Lewis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to limit profit levels over the duration of private finance initiative contracts.

Robert Jenrick: Over 86% of current PFI projects were signed prior to 2010. Since then, the standard PFI model has been reviewed and reforms have been implemented, leading to the launch of a new model – PF2 – in 2012. The new PF2 model has improved transparency, reduced procurement times and improved the flexibility of private finance contracts. Data on PFI and PF2 projects has been published at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/696091/PFI_and_PF2_projects_2017_summary_data_March_2018_web.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants whose claims were wrongly suspended by Concentrix in previous tax years have since similarly had their claims wrongly suspended for the same reasons by HMRC.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold the information requested. HMRC has learned lessons from the Concentrix contract, taking on board the Work & Pensions Select Committee recommendations and introducing a number of changes to its compliance processes. Before implementing these changes, HMRC tested them with external stakeholders, who endorsed the revised approach. The changes ensure that HMRC carries out tax credits checks in a way that is fair and treats claimants with respect. The changes focus on improving contact with claimants, providing greater levels of support and making it easier for claimants to provide information through multiple channels.

Revenue and Customs: Dundee

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date HMRC plans to close its office in Sidlaw House, Dundee.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has informed its staff that there will be tax credits work in Dundee until 2021. HMRC continues to work with the Department for Work and Pensions who are currently reviewing their future requirements in Dundee. HMRC is working through the implications of what the changes mean for the future of Sidlaw House. It will keep staff updated as the details emerge.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 427, how many HM Revenue & Customs staff have moved since November 2015 to a regional centre because their office closed.

Mel Stride: HMRC opened its Croydon Regional Centre in July 2017 to staff and there are currently around 2000 people based at this location.

Revenue and Customs: Redundancy

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, Column 428, how many HM Revenue & Customs staff have been made redundant as a result of the closure of an HMRC office since November 2015.

Mel Stride: Since commencement of HMRC’s Building our Future Locations Programme, to 30 April 2018 the number of confirmed related exits is 1,430 employees. This includes 1,315 who have left HMRC on Voluntary Exit/Redundancy terms and 115 who have left on Compulsory Redundancy terms.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadcasting

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that public broadcasters reflect and provide for the whole of the UK.

Margot James: We are committed to spreading jobs and prosperity throughout the UK, and it is important that our broadcasting sector reflects and provides for the whole country. This government is committed to spreading jobs and prosperity throughout the UK, and it is important that our broadcasting sector reflects and provides for the whole country. That is why Public Service Broadcasters are legally obliged to produce a proportion of their content outside of London, as well as make regional programming. This supports the many creative hubs around the UK and widens access to the UK's world class creative industries We have worked with Channel 4 to secure a commitment to move a minimum 300 staff outside of London, and to increase out of London commissioning spend from 35% to 50%. The government has made clear that we expect other broadcasters to follow Channel 4’s lead.

Broadband: Scotland

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on access to broadband in remote parts of Scotland.

Margot James: We are keen to support the Scottish Government through its current procurement and continue to provide every assistance to deliver Superfast broadband along with new fibre networks to Scotland. The Secretary of State recently appeared before the Scottish Affairs committee to discuss digital connectivity in Scotland. In addition, officials from the department have had regular meetings with their counterparts at the Scottish Government including providing technical advice and guidance to the Scottish Government programme team.

Northern Ireland Office

Children: Funerals

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the devolved administrations on waiving the costs of child burials.

Karen Bradley: While the UK Government has taken steps to introduce a Children’s Funeral Fund in England to spare grieving families the burden of meeting funeral costs, the establishment of such a scheme in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. It is my sincere hope that an Executive will be restored to consider how devolved finances can best be utilised to provide support for those families in Northern Ireland who have had to endure the unbearable loss of a child.

Northern Ireland Office: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many non-disclosure agreements her Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Karen Bradley: As the number of non-disclosure agreements in the last five years is fewer than five, in order to comply with Data Protection Act requirements I am unable to provide this number as a full answer would risk the identification of individuals.

Attorney General

Crimes of Violence: Older People

Mrs Sheryll Murray: What steps the CPS is taking to increase the rate of prosecution for crimes against older people.

Robert Buckland: In 2016-17, the CPS completed just over 3,500 prosecutions for crimes against older people with a conviction rate of 80.4%.The CPS is committed to improving the prosecution of crimes against older people and will be refreshing its legal guidance and public statement on these crimes within the next year.